Newsletter july 2010 for website

Newsletter - July 2010

With the bedding season nearly over it is time to let you know what is happening here at French Street Nurseries over the summer. Summer Opening Hours

First, some important information about opening hours: We will remain open 7 days a week through to the end of the season. In our previous newsletter and in some adverts we told you that we would be closing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from the start of July, however we’ve had a change of heart. Due to the cold spring, the season started late this year and has continued to be strong later than usual, so we have decided to remain open 7 days a week. Our opening hours will also remain unchanged – 10am to 5pm daily.

The Season so Far

The season got off to a slow start but business picked up steadily and we had a very busy May and June. As many of you will know some bedding plants sold out by mid June and we apologise to any disappointed customers. It is a fine balancing act to produce the right amount of each line and it requires fine tuning year by year. Hanging baskets have been a particular success, with Sue having planted close to 80! Blooming Great Tea Party and Summer Madness

As in previous years we intend to hold some charity teas over the course of the summer and the first event is scheduled for the weekend of 10th and 11th of July when we are taking part in Marie Curie’s ‘Blooming Great Tea Party’. Tea, coffee, soft drinks and delicious home made cakes will be available between 11am and 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with all proceeds going to Marie Curie Cancer Care. Hopefully the weather will be fine, allowing us to serve tea in the new display garden. If not we also have space under cover.
On the outside chance that the offer of home made cakes is not enough to tempt you, we are combining the Tea Party with a Summer Madness event. In order to free up space for new production, we will be offering crazy prices on some of our trees and shrubs - they will be priced to sell! Show Garden After a lot of hard work by Lesley and Tony, the show garden is taking shape with most of the main planting finished and the borders beginning to fill out We hope that our customers will find it a place to relax and also a source of ideas and inspiration for their own gardens. Perennials

Of course we are biased, but we think the range and quality of perennials we have to offer is particularly good this year. The decision to add sterilised loam to the potting compost has really paid off in these dry conditions. Adding loam is expensive but it does improve the moisture retention of the compost and, coupled with our move to larger pot sizes, has helped keep the perennials healthy. Our range includes Hosta, Penstemons, Hardy Geraniums, Aruncus and Eryngiums and for those customers keen to add late summer interest to their borders, we have the wonderful Japanese Anemones, Eupatorium, Cimicifuga, Sedum, Crocosmia, Heleniums and Echinacea. This year we also have a wider range of Astilbes, offering different colours and compact varieties that will combine well with hostas and ferns in pots or other containers. Fruit Trees and Hedging

Although many children have yet to break-up for the summer, the days are already getting shorter. If you are considering planting trees, fruit trees, and hedging, autumn is a very good the time for planting them. With fruit and vegetable growing becoming more and more popular, our favoured suppliers of quality fruit trees are tending to sell out during September. Indeed we were frustrated last year when trying to source customer orders only to find that growers had sold out of the best varieties and were able to offer only a limited choice of alternatives. This year we aim to get our orders in early and we have already started to receive fruit tree availability lists from our suppliers for this autumn. We are gathering information on the best varieties and prices and hope to include this with our next mailing. We will be happy to take advance orders with a view to assembling a bulk customer order ahead of the crowd. Thank you to all our customers for your continued support and we hope to see you again over the summer months.Hosey Common Lane Westerham Kent TN16 1PW Phone: 01959 563366 Website: www.frenchstreetnurseries.co.uk Email: [email protected]